Willer pleaded no contest and was sentenced to an additional nine months incarceration for resisting or obstructing an officer. A charge of attempted battery to a jail officer on Aug. 3, 2011 was dismissed on the prosecutor’s motion.

Willer said that at the time of the Aug. 1, 2011, incident, he had untreated alcohol dependency and untreated bipolar disorder stemming from removal of a brain tumor in January 1999. He said he took offense over his neighbor’s construction of a new cabin on their property and subsequently fired shots into their residence on Aug. 1, 2011.

When Willer was taken into custody by the Sawyer County SWAT team, he was holding a loaded .470 caliber nitro express “elephant gun.” A loaded .44 magnum pistol with three spent rounds plus a 12-gauge shotgun were found in Willer’s vehicle. Officers removed approximately 14 firearms, including the .470 nitro express, from Willer’s residence.

District Attorney Bruce Poquette said, “It’s a shame that often we hear nothing about the victims or potential victims; somebody could have lost their life. The need to protect the public is high.”

Poquette quoted from a state Department of Corrections (DOC) agent’s pre-sentence report. The report indicated Willer is “highly likely to have difficulty managing and controlling anger. It’s not resolved as far as rehabilitation. His access to guns and drugs must be limited, according to the DOC agent. The anger, the guns, the drugs —it seems like all this together is a situation where somebody is being set up to be attacked again by Mr. Willer,” Poquette said.

Victims’ statements

Susan Feuerstein said she and her husband were in their house at the time Willer shot into it. She was sitting in a recliner reading when “I heard an explosion and felt my home shake. I was sitting four feet from the path of the bullet.” She went outside and saw a man leaving the driveway “from where he shot.” Subsequently, she found a hole in the wall and debris in an upstairs bathroom. Later that night, she and her husband heard two more shots and called 911. A sheriff’s deputy came and found a bullet inside a refrigerator in the house.

After being arrested, Willer “was abusive to jail staff and threatened to kill jailers,” Mrs. Feuerstein said. “Seven days later he phones his wife from jail and says ‘I’m going to do some things that make me feel a little better. I’ll kill (Mr. Feuerstein) and burn his house down and then kill as many of the SWAT team as I can and stack up the bodies like cordwood.’

“He has no remorse for these actions and he plans to do it again,” she said. In other local incidents, Willer threatened a Hayward area resort owner and threatened to lock her and her family in their house and burn it down, “because she refused to serve an already drunk Willer a drink at 9 a.m.,” Mrs. Feuerstein said. He also threatened to burn down the Feuersteins’ house in May 2010, she said, and in July 2011 Willer abused and threatened to kill his own wife. “All these charges were dropped except for a drunk driving charge. He got away with it all up until now,” she said.

She said that as a result of the incident, she is “scared all the time. His violent behavior is evident; please keep our community safe. He only comes here to Hayward to cause trouble.”

Quin Feuerstein said Willer is “a very violent person and his actions have affected many people; his threats are numerous and so far he’s had free passes. He threatened jail staff horribly. All of them resemble terror acts around our country. He’s confessed and has had other serious offenses dropped. Since Willer’s been out of jail, my wife is scared all the time and I don’t sleep well; nothing can diminish the facts of what’s done to our properties and ourselves; he’s threatened extreme harm; he’s had many free passes; he has a narcissistic personality, and needs to be prohibited from being anywhere near us.”

After being arrested and jailed for four months, Willer was released on bond and entered an alcoholic recovery program at Resurrection Behavioral Health in Chicago. He was forced to surrender his registered investment advisor license in Illinois. As part of a restraining order obtained by the Feuersteins, he is prohibited from using his residence on Round Lake. He also owns three residences in other states.

At last Friday’s sentencing hearing, Willer’s wife Jacqueline supported her husband. “He regrets his actions every day and takes responsibility for them,” she said. “At the time of this incident, he had untreated alcoholism, undiagnosed bipolar disorder and a form of epilepsy, of which symptoms are erratic behavior and memory loss.

“As soon as he was out on bond, he entered a treatment program at Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago and joined an Alcoholics Anonymous group. He has a long and serious medical history of bone disease and can’t walk without pain. He had surgery to remove a brain tumor in early 1999, after which he developed bipolar disorder and epilepsy. He has chronic pain from arthritis, a seizure disorder which is treated effectively with medications, and arthritic lower back pain. With his need for ongoing treatment of addiction and medical problems, I don’t believe he would survive additional prison time. Truly he is no threat to anyone.”

David Willer read a statement in which he said, “I sincerely apologize for the incidents that occurred on Aug. 1, 2011 and hold no grudge nor animosity to you (the Feuersteins) or your family or to the citizenry. I could not harbor more remorse and could not be more contrite. I believe my best service is to help all addicts and alcoholics. Admittedly I’m an alcoholic, and thankfully am in recovery. I’ve commuted to my lake home on Round Lake from Illinois for 40 years.

“Nothing is more important to me than the love and fellowship of my wife of 45 years, Jackie, and my three grown daughters,” Willer continued. “My medical history has exacerbated my behavior. Fourteen years ago I had surgery to remove a brain tumor through in the optic arch and as a result I have developed adult onset bipolar disorder and unacceptable social behavior. This is not an excuse; I take full responsibility for that.

“In my former life prior to Aug. 1, 2011, I had a successful professional practice as a registered investment adviser and my reputation was impeccable,” Willer said. “After my release from jail in December 2011 I enrolled in an intense alcoholic recovery program at Resurrection Behavioral Health. I completed it with merit and attended regular AA meetings and continual psychological counseling. I have reached out to other alcoholics in need. I have made amends with my family and professionally and would like to make amends with the Feuersteins if they can find it in their heart to do so.”

Willer’s attorney, Michael Rajek of Eau Claire, said Willer is an Air Force veteran who’s “on his way to rehabilitation” on his own initiative. “The David Willer that fired at Mr. Feuerstein’s house and the one who’s sitting here today are two different people. We ask for the chance to do restorative justice in the future, where forgiveness might come into play.”

Willer’s “firearms are gone and he will not have access to firearms,” Rajek added.

Judge speaks

Judge Wright said, “This is a very serious offense and some incarceration is required. Is he (Willer) a victim of mental illness and substance abuse or is he a person who has sociopathic tendencies for which incarceration is necessary to protect the community? A psychological report diagnoses a narcissistic personality disorder; he exhibits characteristics of a sociopath.

“It’s true that his behavior occurred during a time when he was not being treated for some significant mental disorders, unspecified psychosis. It’s still not clear to the court the extent to which those issues are being treated or are capable of moderating behavior. I have no doubt that he has some very redeeming qualities, and some very significant treatment needs. He is neither the absolute sociopath that the Feuersteins fear nor is he strictly a mentally ill person. He’s something in between.

“The sentence needs to provide a significant amount of treatment and incarceration to ensure that the community is safe for the time being and he’s adequately punished. Therefore the presentence recommendation is appropriate,” the judge said.

Judge Wright sentenced Willer to six years in the Wisconsin state prison system of which the first two years will be in confinement and the last four years on supervised release with the following conditions:

• That he pay restitution in an amount to be determined at a further court hearing;

• Provide a DNA tissue sample and pay the $250 DNA analysis surcharge;

• He is prohibited from having any contact with the Feuersteins, their immediate family or property, unless they choose to participate in a restorative justice program; he is prohibited from using his own property on Round Lake unless the victims request to have him there;

• He is prohibited from being on Richardson Bay on Round Lake;

• He must not possess or consume any alcohol or controlled substance without a prescription.

• He must have no contact with anyone in possession of or convicted of possessing or manufacturing controlled substances;

• Any firearms owned or possessed by Willer which are not with or sold by a licensed gun dealer shall be turned over to the Sawyer County sheriff.

• He will obtain an anger management assessment and updated psychological evaluation, maintain compliance with any recommended treatment for both his psychological and substance abuse problems, and participate in and successfully complete anger management counseling.

Willer is credited with 131 days served in jail. He was taken into custody after the sentencing hearing.